The Calm Before the Maelstrom
by Tsukiko Suzume
Summary: REPOSTED AND ONCE NAMED the calm before the storm! "... Dante, laying half on and half off the ledge had grabbed his hand." No longer a songfic.
1. The Calm: Chapter One

_Thanks to a warning from Sam Valentine (thanks alot, really!), I have reposted my story as a non-songfic._

_Sorry if if caused any confusion... Anyways, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry 3._

_**You've heard of it, haven't you? The Legend of Sparda. When I was young my father would tell me stories about it.**_

**_Long ago, in ancient times, a demon rebelled against its own kind for the sake of the human race. With his sword, he shut the portal to the demonic realm and sealed the evil entities off from our human world. But since he was a demon himself, his power was also trapped on the other side. I never believed it. I thought it was just a child's fairytale. But I discovered that this so-called legend wasn't a myth at all. _**

_**Sparda existed.**_

_**How do I know? Well… I met the sons of Sparda—both of them.**_

**_Though the same blood of their father flowed through their veins, they battled each other fiercely like arch enemies. It was if they derived some sort of twisted pleasure from this brotherly fighting._**

_**But in the end, only one was left standing**._

—Lady, _Devil May Cry 3_

Chapter 1: "An Inevitable Fate"

The demonic sword, Sparda, spun as it descended, landing point first in the riverbed in the Underworld.

Two men plummeted after the sword, landing gracefully in crouches before looking up and diving for the sword.

Identical twins, Vergil and Dante had been, for the longest time, arch enemies, working together only when they couldn't avoid it. One would think that even a shred of brotherly love would shine through, but it was not so. The two were destined to fight.

Vergil rolled forward, snatching the hilt of the ancient sword and tugging it free from the bed. Seeing that Dante was merely inches away, he held the sword out, point first, and silently dared his twin to try to retrieve it from him.

The younger twin refused the dare, backing up to put a comfortable distance between them.

A glint drew Vergil's eye to Dante's left hand, the one holding the silver half of the amulet. Reaching out a hand, the brother beckoned Dante to come closer, saying, "Give that to me."

Dante spared the amulet a glance before hiding it behind his back and taking a step back. "No way, you got your own."

Sparda was moved back into attack position. "Well I want yours too."

Dante frowned. "What are you gonna do with all that power, huh? No matter how hard you try, you're never gonna be like father."

If he didn't know better, Dante would've sworn that he'd seen panic on his twin's otherwise calm face. "You're wasting time!" Vergil yelled, charging.

Dante stood inanimate until the last second, staring his brother down. Then he, too, lashed out with his sword, Rebellion, but Vergil caught his strike. Then again, he caught his brother's too.

He took a moment to examine his brother's expression. To others, it would be strange talking to themselves, as it practically was with him and Vergil. Currently, his handsome face was strained and he was shaking slightly from the weight of the blow.

"We are the sons of Sparda," Dante reminded his twin, he, too, quivering under the weight of the blow. His hand was beginning to ache. "Within each of us flows his blood, but most importantly, his soul!" He pushed forward with Rebellion as well as his bloody hand, sending him and Vergil backwards. "And now, my soul," he continued, gesturing to himself then Vergil, "is saying it wants to stop you!"

To his surprise, Vergil began to laugh. "Unfortunately, our souls are at odds, brother." He held up a hand before his face before clenching it into a fist. "I need more power."

"And we're supposed to be twins."

"Twins," the older brother repeated sarcastically, moving Sparda back into its attack position. "Right."

With a roar, Dante charged, slashing across Vergil's chest.

Vergil ducked, allowing momentum to carry Rebellion out of range before whacking his twin in the stomach with the but of his other sword, Yamato. He had already decided that in this final battle, he would toy with Dante, watching him squirm before killing him and retrieving the amulet.

The younger brother stumbled backwards and snarled, plucking his gun, Ivory, from its holder, targeted his twin and fired, hitting Vergil square in the shoulder. He tripped, barely regaining his balance, but got his feet under him in time not to fall. His silvery blonde hair was soaked and clung to his handsome face. A drenched, crimson leather trench coat hung open, revealing skin too perfect to be human's and a tight, well muscled chest. Baggy, yet form fitting pants hung low on his waist, tucking into mostly undone short, black boots at the ankle. Blue eyes were narrowed with determination but held a hidden glint of sorrow and uncertainty.

Vergil's features were congruent with the exception of a few minor details. His damp hair was slicked back almost into small spikes, showing a face that could be Dante's reflection. He, too, wore a long trench coat, except his was a royal blue. Tidy clothes—the dark violet shirt, the dark pants and the knee length brown boots—gave him more of a sophisticated and practical look then Dante's rock 'n' roll style. His eyes held confusion and disappointment.

"Come on," Dante taunted, giving his long sword an experimental twirl, showing his expertise.

Vergil huffed, standing, a smirk on his face. "If you think this is it, you might as well throw in the towel." He rotated his injured shoulder, not a speck of pain evident in his expression or voice. "Because you're in over your head."

Seeing as though Dante was gathering his wits, the older twin took this time to draw into himself calling on the blood that was his strength. He felt exhilaration and maliciousness in transforming into that which he loved most: the scaly, humanoid demon.

Dante's expression switched to one of grim determination seeing his brother's form. He hated to admit it, but he was actually worried.

Although they were twins, their way of doing things differed greatly. Vergil was cool, calm and collected to the point of almost being heartless, usually taking the time to observe his victim, learn its weaknesses then pounce and obliterate it within seconds. Their father, the legendary Dark Knight Sparda, had given him a lithe and aero-dynamic katana, named Yamato, that was forged in the Underworld. It was believe that this sword, in the right hands, could move so fast that the human eye couldn't catch a glimpse of it. It suited Vergil well.

Dante, on the other hand, was often rash and valued brawn over brains. He always joked and loved to taunt and play with people, enjoying their distress and anger as he pushed them far beyond their limits. Unfortunately, most of his victims were demons, but, thankfully, he had the strength and skill to defeat them. He had recently opened a devil slaying business, to put his skills, or taunting, to good use. Their father had given him a broad sword called Rebellion, a blade that was also forged in the Underworld. He wielded it with one hand and it, along with his guns, had become his signature weapon.

As for their transformations? Vergil, being the cruel and heartless one, needed only malicious thoughts to arouse his demonic blood. And Dante, being the 'macho man' he was, needed an adrenaline rush before it would wake.

Dante leapt back, noticing his brother approaching, and drew out his twin guns, Ebony and Ivory. Appropriately named for their colouring, the handguns had served him well over the years and he hoped they would aid him now.

Feeding his energy into the guns, he pulled the triggers, shooting the magical bullets. He fired a few rounds like this before he stopped, realizing that they weren't doing any good.

Twirling his katana in circles, Vergil had caught the bullets in its centrifugal force before tossing them away with a flick of his wrist.

Setting the guns back into their holders and grabbing the hilt of Rebellion, Dante charged.

Vergil followed suit, sheathing Yamato and drawing Sparda, meeting his twin halfway.

They met with a clash, a quick stalemate, then broke it, and began stabbing, slashing and hacking at each other. They wove their swords in complex patterns and dances, trying to catch the other off guard.

The battle went on like this for awhile longer before Vergil decided to change tactics. Crouching down, he kicked out with his leg, trying to trip him. Then when Dante was in the air, he punched him in the stomach, sending flying him backwards. Then he reached, again, for Sparda.

Dante gasped when he hit the floor, he wind momentarily blasted from his lungs, and struggled to his feet.

By that time, Sparda was already in the air, spinning towards him and Vergil was charging.

When the sword was a few feet from him, he arched his back and bent his knees, the blade inches from his chest, before kicking up his feet and hitting the sword's hilt sending it high into the air and embedding it again in the river. When Vergil struck, he performed another back flip, evading the attack and kicked the blade high into the air.

Dante began to wonder why his blood hadn't stirred. Then again, he had yet to receive an adrenaline rush, too. What was wrong with him?

Unconsciously, he knew. He just didn't want to admit it.

Using his claws, Vergil attacked with his fists relying on his demonic brute strength. The hatred and malice in his veins began to recede and he knew that his demon strength was soon to disappear as well.

Dante was glad he equipped the Beowulf gauntlets before this battle, seeing as though he wouldn't have lasted long without them. Light and durable, the powerful gauntlets allowed the younger twin to match his brother blow for blow. Also, they protected his arms and shins.

Blocking and striking, Dante fell into the rhythm of his brother's attacks, loosing himself to the frightening level of concentration that consumed him.

Vergil mentally grinned, seeing that Dante had finally decided to take the fight seriously. But he still had the upper hand. Jumping back, he felt his blood begin to settle down, his form shifting back, as he lurched forward, slamming into his twin and send him sprawling into the river again. Then, in his human form, he retrieved Yamato and strode triumphantly towards his fallen brother.

Dante felt Vergil approach, but couldn't find the strength to move.

Yamato was brought above him. "A familiar position, brother?" Vergil taunted, smirking. "Give me the amulet and I might make it quick."

The younger twin continued to gasp, and couldn't respond even if he wanted too.

"A pity." The sword descended.

For a split second, Dante felt fear and embraced it, remembering the last time Vergil had pinned him down with his sword. Although it ended quickly, the adrenaline rush was all he needed. He shifted, turning into the red and black demon.

Although somewhat surprised, Vergil couldn't help but smirk in amusement as Demon Dante grasped the descending sword with his feet and pushed off, using the momentum to wrench the sword from his grasp.

"So," Vergil exclaimed, "the **real** fight begins."

Demon Dante only snarled and charged.

The combat began again. This time, Vergil let his twin go on the offensive, enjoying the feel of his rage and anger. They exchanged blow after blow, but this time, Vergil was taking the heat.

Inside, Dante was battling with himself. He couldn't ignore the facts. His brother was a cruel, heartless person and had most likely savored each kill. Vergil had also betrayed him, leaving him when he needed him most and defecting to the side of the demons.

But he was his brother; he couldn't ignore that fact and deep down (deep, deep down) he knew a shred of brotherly love still lingered. He knew he couldn't kill him without hating himself for all eternity.

Proof of Dante's inner struggle was apparent, his form flickering back and forth. Vergil took the opportunity to knock him back and retrieve his sword.

But Dante didn't give him the time, slashing his brother across the stomach with Rebellion.

"…_Dante_…"

His brother stumbled backwards, gasping. His hand was on his chest, trying to stop the crimson tears weeping from the gash. Vergil was then down on one knee, panting. "Am I… being defeated?" he gasped, clutching his chest harder.

"What's wrong? Is that all you got?" Dante taunted, "Come on, get up. You can do better than that!"

Vergil's face hardened as he rose with a grunt.

The ground rumbled, suddenly, causing the younger twin to glance around in confusion.

"The portal to the human world is closing, Dante," Vergil answered his unasked question, "Because the amulets are separated."

"Let's finish this, Vergil," Dante exclaimed, softly. "I have to stop you even if that means killing you." He dashed forward, Rebellion resting near his hip.

Moving Yamato into position, Vergil charged.

Time seemed to slow for the twins as the rushed each other, but when they were about to strike, time went too fast. Momentum carried them through and they stood still, in striking position, as if afraid to move.

It was Vergil who faltered, falling once again to one knee, loosing his half of the amulet in the water.

The younger brother returned the broad sword to its place on his back.

Panting, the older twin groped blindly in the water for his amulet before standing wobbly, facing Dante.

Vergil began to stumble backwards towards the ledge. "No one can have this, Dante. It's mine. It belongs to a son of Sparda."

Guessing his brother's intentions, Dante's eyes widened and he lurched forward.

Yamato met him halfway, halting his movements. "Leave me and go," his brother snapped, "if you don't want to be trapped in the Demon World. I'm staying. This place was our father's home." With that said and done, he began to fall backwards.

The younger twin reached out, but pulled back when Vergil swung Yamato before him, slicing his palm.

Vergil closed his eyes as he felt himself falling. He'd be fine without Dante; he'd been before. And he wouldn't have to worry about someone interfering with his plans. Everything would be perfect.

Except…

Dante, laying half-on and half-off the ledge, had grabbed his hand.

_There's the first chapter, hope you liked it!_


	2. The Calm: Chapter Two

_Here's chapter two. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own it._

_-!-!-! next scene_

'_**The younger twin reached out, but pulled back when Vergil swung Yamato before him, slicing his palm.**_

_**Vergil closed his eyes as he felt himself falling. He'd be fine without Dante; he'd been before. And he wouldn't have to worry about someone interfering with his plans. Everything would be perfect.**_

**_Except_…**

_**Dante, laying half-on and half-off the ledge, had grabbed his hand.'**_

­Chapter 2: Where Things Get Rough

Dante gave him a strained smile. "Third time's a charm."

"Dante," his brother growled, warningly. "Let go."

To his surprise, the younger twin muttered something that sounded like "Thank God he doesn't have a gun", unconsciously tightening his grip.

"_Dante,_" he growled again, tapping Yamato's hilt against the rock wall to get his full attention. "I said _let go_."

Dante's eyes flashed angrily, as though Vergil had said something offending. "No, not again. Never again. I let you go once, and looked at what happened!"

For once in his life, Vergil had nothing to say. Instead, he tightened his grip on Yamato and swung it towards his twin's wrist. If he wouldn't let him go, he would make him, in a more painful way.

Crying out, Dante kept an unwavering grip on his brother's hand as he screamed to the sky. Then, panting, he looked down at his brother. The blade was lodged deep in his wrist, near the bone. Droplets of blood had dripped down onto Vergil's blue trench coat and pale face. His cold blue eyes were dark with anger. And, he noted with some satisfaction and surprise, that his brother's hand was gripping his wrist, although it was most likely unconsciously.

It surprised Vergil that he wasn't giddy with joy about being able to harm his brother one last time. In fact, he was passive. He tore his faithful katana from the bloody wrist before swinging it again.

"Idiot." Dante murmured before hauling his brother up and successfully knocking him out.

!-!-!

The demon slayer Lady was waiting outside, gazing up at the sky. After the storm had passed, the sky had turned a beautiful sapphire blue with only a few grey clouds obstructing the view.

A human through-and-through, Lady had earlobe length black hair that was matted and untidy from her sojourn. Unlike Dante and Vergil, she had peachy skin with a scar across her nose. She wore a white blouse, a blackish-grey skirt over black shorts and lots and lots of guns. Mismatched blue and brown eyes continued to stare at the sky lazily.

A crash behind her caused her to gasp and turn, her hand reaching for a gun.

"Whew, what an ordeal." Dante walked forward, a bloody hand holding a body over his left shoulder and his right was holding her all-purpose rocket launcher, Kalina-Anne, over the other. He looked languid, his aura radiating sorrow and lethargy. His blue eyes were dark and didn't hold the mischievous quality they did when she had first met the silver haired demon.

He stopped when he reached her. "You're still here."

Lady gestured to the launcher. "I need that back."

He held Kalina-Ann out to her, but pulled it back when she reached for it. "No late charges, I hope." His eyes had a joking sparkle in them, but it was almost drowned out by the languid look.

She almost smiled. Almost. "I'll think about it." Taking the launcher and trapping her it across her back, she nodded towards the body. "Who's that?"

Dante's mood seemed to worsen as he set the body carefully on the ground.

She gasped, fumbling for a gun on her belt.

It was Vergil and he was still alive.

Ivory was pressed against her jaw line and she heard it click as it was set. An echoing warning, dripping with venom, was whispered in her ear. "Make one more move and I'll blow out your vocal cords so I can't hear you scream. Because, I swear, if you touch him, I _will _kill you."

Her throat was dry and clenched tightly, allowing only a whimper pass her lips. She knew, right at this moment, that Dante wasn't in his human form. No voice, no matter what sadist said it, could inspire such fear in her. Only a demon's voice could hold such malice and deliver such a threatening promise that it made her neck hair stand on end. Slowly, she held up her hands in surrender before moving away from the muzzle. She turned slowly to see him, unsure of what she would see.

The silver haired demon slayer was standing, smugly, where he had been earlier, both guns tucked safely into their holders. A dark violet smoke caressed him before evaporating into the air.

"H-how did you—?"

Dante, still with that smug look, drew Ivory from its holder and pointed it at her. "I told you not to move." He fired.

She heard an inhuman scream from behind her, and realized that a horde of demons had surrounded them. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she asked angrily, drawing her guns and firing rapidly.

But Dante wasn't listening. Resetting his bloody wrist, it healed in seconds. Then he strode over to Vergil's unconscious form and set it over his shoulder before turning to Lady, nodding in farewell, and casually walking away.

She was furious. "Where do you think you're going!"

He didn't turn, continued walking and drew his gun. "To my shop. I'm not fightin' them here." He targeted an approaching demon and shot it before continuing to walk away.

"_Dante!_" she roared, setting Kalina-Ann over her shoulder and firing, the blast scattering demons here and there, clearing a path and racing after him. "Don't leave me here!"

"You can catch up." Was all he said.

!-!-!

On a nearby building, a lady around the age of twenty lay comfortably on her stomach before a chessboard, fiddling with a white pawn. Standing, she'd be a few inches short of six feet. Shiny, silky blonde hair fell to her mid back in ringlets, caressing skin too white to be humans'. Her black, tight fitting, skimpy leather clothes showed mostly skin than leather and exaggerated the paleness of her skin. She was inhumanly beautiful and could ensnare any man in her web of deceit.

However, although she was stunningly beautiful, her blood red eyes were cold, hard and cruel, concealing the malice in her intentions. An evil smirk curled her plump red lips into a malicious smile. Her body may be beautiful, but her soul was hideous.

Slim digits moved the pawn to the center of the board before retreating back and holding her chin. She watched the scene in amusement.

Three other pieces, a king, a rook and a knight, had appeared on the board and were moving on their own accord back to their side. A legion of black pawns followed them.

"Run my little pawns," she murmured her voice husky with excitement. "For every move you make lands you closer to the Queen." She picked up the rook, examining it with an evil eye. "Moment by moment, step by step, word by word you're moving closer and closer—" She closed her hand into a fist, crushing the piece into a fine powder. "—to checkmate."

She cackled maniacally before disappearing into smoke.

!-!-!

Weaving between the allies, Dante led Lady through the maze of streets, shooting Ivory the odd time at a demon that strayed to close. Although Vergil, still unconscious, added some dead weight to Dante, the silver haired demon slayer kept a fast pace and showed no sign of slowing or tiring.

Lady on the other hand, was panting and had asked countless times if they could stop to take a breather. But she knew that if they stopped, they would be mince meat.

Suddenly, a sharp pain swam through her veins, lighting all her nerves on fire. She gasped, and stumbled, gasping, "D-dante!" She leaned on the nearby building for a moment, but a second later, it stopped. She shook her head, confused.

"Not much further," Dante exclaimed over his shoulder, sheathing Ivory and switching with his shotgun. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Lady nodded—deciding to keep the incident to herself until she knew more of what happened—and fled.

"Hey, bone heads!" he yelled mockingly, cocking his shotgun with a click and holding it out in front of him. "C'mere and get a piece of this! I'm _dying _to share it with you!" He smirked as more of the skeletal, scythe wielding monstrosities came into view. Then, holding the trigger and feeding his power into the guns, he shot bullets of red lightning that scattered, instantly killed all the demons in the front line and knocking the others back.

He chuckled and, mock saluting them, said, "Au revoir, mes amis! I'll have fun killing you later!" Then, with a final blast of his shotgun, Dante took off.

Lady was waiting for him, looking quizzically up at his ruined store. When he arrived, she asked, "This is you're store?" It wasn't phrased as a question.

He shrugged. "Life's a mystery. You just have to live with it." He walked up to the pile of rubble that once served as a door way. "It wasn't my fault that Vergil's invitation wrecked my business!" With his free hand, he shoved the rubble aside easily, remaking the entryway. Then, with a flamboyant wave of his hand, he beckoned Lady in.

She followed him in, shaking her head.

Dante began walking up the stairs. "Make yourself comfortable, unless, of course, you want to put those guns to good use." He gestured to the door before disappearing upstairs.

Turning to where he pointed, she grinned when she saw the horde of demons beginning to appear outside. Grabbing two guns from her belt, she checked them to make sure they were loaded, and then cocked them. "This'll be fun."

The floor creaked as Dante walked down the short hall to his room, listening to the sounds of shooting and defiant screams sounding from outside. "Hope she saves some for me," he muttered, opening the door and walking in to the small room.

His bedroom was fairly small with a ruffled double bed off in a corner, an open closet beside that and a bedside table near the foot of his bed with a half broken alarm clock sitting on it. A barred window was on the left wall, as was a large oak wood desk littered with papers and pens. The hard wood floor was concealed by the mass of dirty laundry and old pizza boxes lying idly about.

"Oh yeah," he murmured, smiling, "I haven't cleaned up in a while." He set his brother's unconscious form on his bed after clearing it of a few clothes and an old box of donuts. Then he turned back to the room, removing his red trench coat and draping it over the desk before setting his hands on his hips determinedly. "Not the best place to wake up after being abducted." And then he began to clean.

By the time he was done, the room was neat and tidy, the garbage properly disposed of and the laundry stuffed into his closet. With a nod of approval, he looked again to his brother's sleeping form before returning downstairs.

Lady was sitting casually on one of the crimson couches under the stairs when he saw her. She grinned at him, moving a stray strand of black hair back behind her ear. "What took you so long? I was finished _ages _ago!"

Dante frowned, looking out the door expectantly, only to see the bodies of at least three dozen demons lying inanimate on the torn up pavement. "Aaww," he moaned, turning back to her with a disappointed look on his face. "You had all the fun without me! That was totally not fair!" He scuffed his boot on the floor grumbling, "And I was supposed to be the host of this party for once" as he slouched over to her.

She raised an eyebrow before asking, "So what're you gonna do with him?"

"You mean Vergil?"

"Who else?"

He shrugged, all playfulness gone. "Well, I can't say I'm gonna keep him; he's not a dog, but—" he trailed off, looking up at the stairs with clouded eyes.

She waited, but he didn't appear to have anything else to say.

"Why are you doing this," she inquired carefully, checking his face for any sign of anger or hurt. An angry devil was the last thing she wanted on her plate. "I mean, Vergil is an evil son of a— " She stopped and flinched back when he glared at her.

"If I let him go as he is," Dante snarled, eyes flashing dangerously, "He'll cause an even bigger mess that I'll have to clean up. And—" he gestured to his shop "—another invitation like the last one will totally destroy this shop!"

"Um, no offense and sorry to burst your bubble," she commented softly, "But, your shop is already destroyed."

He rolled his eyes, sighed and walked over to his desk and, sitting down, propped his feet on the table. Leaning back, he set his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, apparently ignoring her.

An odd silence fell upon the room and Lady fidgeted uneasily on the sofa. She didn't want to make him mad. After all, if he decided to attack her he would defiantly have the upper hand…

"He's my brother, Lady." Dante's quiet voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "If he does something like this again and succeeds, it'll be my fault." He paused. "My fault for not taking this chance to change him."

His response startled her. She wasn't expecting such an honest and heart filled answer since he was normally cocky and playful. "And if he just turns around and slits your throat?"

He opened his eyes and stared hard at her. "Then I guess that's what I deserve for thinking I could change a heartless demon like him."

Their eyes remained locked for what seemed like forever before Dante leapt up, stretched and walked into the kitchen beside the stairs. "You want anything to drink while you're here?"

She blinked. "Um, sure. Just non-alcoholic."

There was a clatter before the silver haired demon slayer returned and tossed her a can of Pepsi. "Have fun with that."

She blinked again, not moving to open the cold can in her hands. "Are you serious about this?"

He shrugged, taking the seat at his desk again, chugging his pop. Then he replied, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Grinning, Lady watched him as he took another long drink before saying, "Then I'll stay here, too."

_Review, please, if you like it!_


	3. The Calm: Chapter Three

_Disclaimer: I don't own it._

_**She blinked again, not moving to open the cold can in her hands. "Are you serious about this?"**_

_**He shrugged, taking the seat at his desk again, chugging his pop. Then he replied, "Why wouldn't I be?"**_

_**Grinning, Lady watched him as he took another long drink before saying, "Then I'll stay here, too." **_

Chapter Three: "The New Roommates"

Dante coughed and sputtered, barely keeping the soda from spewing out his nose. Eyes wide, he coughed, pounding his chest to get the liquid out of his lungs. Lady watched, amused, as he looked back at her with teary eyes. "_What_!"

She frowned. "You heard me. If you plan on keeping him here." She shrugged. "I'll stay too. You'll need all the help you can get."

"I don't _need _you're help. I can handle things fine by myself, thank you very much."

She huffed in disbelief, unsnapping a gun from her belt and checking it over. "I shot you in the head, didn't I?" She looked at him pointedly.

Dante chuckled nervously at this, rubbing the back of his head, remembering vividly that exact moment. It was… the second time they had met and he _still_ didn't know what had transpired to cause her to fall from the balcony on the Temen-ni-gru. He had been there right at the perfect time and had caught her ankle as she fell passed him. To make a long story short, she wanted him to let go but he didn't. And she ended up shooting him square in the forehead to make him. He had to admit, though, she did have pretty good aim for a human. "That doesn't prove anything."

Drawing another gun from her belt, Lady cocked the guns before pointing them at the silver haired demon slayer. "Oh," she said sweetly, "Should I prove myself now?"

He gave her a look that said 'Are you serious?' "Uh, no thanks," he replied, leaning the chair back on two legs. "I've had enough bullets in the head for one day."

She set the guns by her side, looking questioningly at Dante, her mind elsewhere. "Dante, did you experience any sudden pain when we were running here?"

He yawned, stretching. "Should I have?" Then, as if getting caught in the thought, he turned accusingly and gave her a hard stare. "You didn't shoot me in the back did you? Because if you did—" His whining trailed off into grumbles as he stood and tried to see his back, feeling for any bullet holes.

"So when does the sleepyhead upstairs wake up?"

"Who knows," he replied, still trying to look at his back, "I think I hit him to hard though…"

Lady sighed, muttering, "What have I gotten myself into?"

!-!-!

The room was dark, a few floating glass orbs filled with fire shining an ominous glow upon its inhabitants. The floor was covered by mold and pebbles coving the ancient gray stone that served as the floor. A tall, silver throne sat in the dead center and beside it was a golden altar. The walls and ceiling were endless shadows.

The pale, skimpy leather wearing lady was standing patiently at the foot of the throne, her boot tapping impatiently. The chessboard hovered before her. "Arkain, Arkain, Arkain," she murmured, "always, _always_, late."

"So. Where is he?" A young voice asked from behind her.

"I don't know," she replied, dryly, "I know _I _was doing something important. _You_ were supposed to keep him in line."

The younger girl walked into view, a sour expression on her face. "What were you doing this time? A manicure? Pedicure? Or was it just eye make up?"

The older lady twirled a strand of blonde hair on her finger. "You wish. You're just jealous that I have something important to say." She turned and faced her, smirking. "And you don't."

The younger girl frowned, glaring back into cold crimson eyes. She was shorter than her sister by at least three inches and had long black hair braided into many braids. Crimson eyes looked out from alabaster skin and gazed over the older lady's form in disgust. Hey, the leather was alright, she even wore it but… that was way too much skin! "Pride would be proud."

The other chuckled. "She always is, yes?" she twirled. "Besides, it _does_ look good on me, doesn't it?"

"We're not here to talk about clothes, ladies."

The two looked passed the throne to see a man with short, spiky crimson hair emerge from the darkness and stride confidently to the throne. He had long black pants that fell over black boots and a knee length, black trench coat that was open to show a hard, red tattooed stomach. At least three gold chains hung around his neck and his left ear was pierced at both the top and bottom. He, too, had pale skin and hard, red eyes. A strand of the tattoo marking on his chest enveloped his right eye and disappeared into his hairline. Two swords were strapped to his belt and he held a large, frosted orb in his hand.

"Arkain," the two murmured in unison.

He sat regally, crossing his legs and setting the orb on the altar. "Queen, what did you find?"

"See for yourself." She made a pushing motion towards the momentarily forgotten chessboard and it hovered towards him.

Arkain watched as three white pieces—the rook, the knight and the king—retreated to their side, tailed by many black pawns. When the pieces stopped, the rook destroyed all the pawns before returning. Then the board rippled like water, showing Dante setting Vergil on the bed, Dante and Lady arguing and so forth. After a moment, he asked, "Myth, have you seen this?"

"No, brother," the younger girl replied, "I just arrived."

He gestured and Queen reluctantly moved the chessboard to her. Myth watched the scene play, solemnly, murmuring, "Sparda's sons."

_We need them for my plan to work. Bring them here, alive._

"Perhaps," Arkain mused aloud, "We should leave them for awhile. Let them get used to each other before we strike. I want to see their faces when we tear them apart."

_Ahh, _the voice replied after a moment's hesitation, _I see your plan. _

Everyone in the room was silent as the voice considered the options.

_Watch them. Learn their weaknesses. I'll give them three days, and then we'll send an invitation they can't refuse._

!-!-!

Vergil woke with a start, sitting up quickly and earning himself a massive headache. Raising a gloved hand to his forehead, he looked around the unfamiliar room—

—And came face-to-face with his twin. "Good morning, sleepy head," Dante exclaimed cheerfully. He was sitting backwards in a chair, his arms draped across its top casually. "Glad to see you're up. You've wasted most of the morning." He gestured outside.

It was pouring.

Vergil just stared at his twin, sensing that something was amiss. Dante's hair was wet and clung to his face. He sat shirtless and his tanned pants fell to his bare ankles. His character and appearance seemed the same, but he still couldn't shake the feeling…

And the idiot had left Yamato beside him on the bed.

He smiled a false smile. "I'm glad to be up, too." Then, in a flash, he unsheathed his katana and slashed Dante, cleanly chopping off the top of the chair and his brother.

Dante's body disappeared into smoke.

Vergil blinked. That was too easy, and the smoke proved it.

"Oh come now," an all too familiar voice drawled from the doorway, "Is that anyway to treat you're little brother, Vergil?"

The older twin turned.

Lady was standing in the doorway, guns trailed on Vergil's form but what amazed him (and Lady) most was standing next to her. Dante was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a smug look on his face. Dull, pupil less blue eyes danced with amusement.

That was it! His eyes!

"After all," Dante's voice continued at his side. "You did just wake up."

Vergil frowned and moved to stand.

"Make one move," Lady snarled, "And I'll pump you full of lead."

The older twin smirked, cold eyes boring into her. "Like that'll do much." He stood.

Dante Two, the one standing beside him, pushed him back down. "I can vouch for her." He—it—pointed to its forehead. "Those bullets _sting_!"

Vergil snarled slashing the clone with Yamato.

"Vergil!" Dante One scolded mockingly, "You'll have to keep that temper down, if you're gonna be staying here!" He shook a finger at him.

"As much as the thought _thrills_ me," the older twin replied dryly, standing again and sheathing Yamato. "I fear I must decline. I have much to do, you see." He walked towards the door.

Lady's guns stopped him. "The invitation was a one way ticket: you stay but you don't leave."

He rested his hand on the hilt of his katana, his eyes hardening. "Try and stop me."

_Review please!_


	4. The Calm: Chapter Four

_Disclaimer: (sigh I see now how this gets tireing) I don't own it._

"_**Vergil!" Dante One scolded mockingly, "You'll have to keep that temper down, if you're gonna be staying here!" He shook a finger at him.**_

"_**As much as the thought thrills me," the older twin replied dryly, standing again and sheathing Yamato. "I fear I must decline. I have much to do, you see." He walked towards the door.**_

_**Lady's guns stopped him. "The invitation was a one way ticket: you stay but you don't leave."**_

**_He rested his hand on the hilt of his katana, his eyes hardening. "Try and stop me."_**

Chapter Four: "Day One"

For once in his life, Vergil was actually sulking.

After the incident upstairs with Dante's doppelgangers and Lady's guns, he had secluded himself in Dante's room, thinking of an escape plan for his present predicament. The first thing that came to mind was brute force. He _could_ always hack and slash his way through the shop, but…

Even though those Dantes were illusions, their swords _stung_.

So after spending at least an hour upstairs of planning in vain, he had ventured down to take his first look at the shop. The doorway was—and still was—door-less and rubble and debris covered the floor. Sand covered, crimson couches were arranged under the stairs to face the small TV that was propped up on boxes. At the foot of the stairs was a doorway that led into a surprisingly clean kitchen and another in the middle of the store led to the bathroom. His desk sat in the middle, littered with bank, and doodled on, pieces of paper. The smell of hot pizza wafted through the air and at least three pizza boxes had been lying around the room.

His brother was a slob.

His twin and the annoying human, Lady, had been sitting comfortably on the couch, devouring the pizza while watching stupid cartoons. Dante had greeted him cheerfully and had directed him towards an almost finished pizza with black and green olives, anchovies, pepperoni, mushrooms, bacon, three different types of cheeses, ham, pineapple, green, orange and red pepper and spicy Italian sausage.

Vergil had responded with a look that said "Are you nuts" before he disappeared into the kitchen and grabbed the closest thing to being edible (which ended up being a couple of stale donuts) before returning upstairs to continue planning.

But only ended up doing so with no success: no matter what plan he thought up, Dante and his doppelgangers always ended up foiling them.

So here he was, sitting on his twin's bed, leaning on his hands, sulking, as he stared out the barred window at the pouring rain outside. "This'll be interesting. Very interesting."

He smirked. Perhaps it was the demonic blood in him, or maybe it was just part of his personality, but he did enjoy a good, bloody game. Especially if it meant beating Dante to win it.

He frowned at that thought. _Just_ beating his twin? Had this predicament arose a month or so ago, he would've thought killing him…

Was it so long ago?

Vergil shook his head fiercely, his silvery bangs falling back into his face. Agitated, he slicked his hair back with an impatient hand, growling angrily, his frown deepening. Maybe he was exaggerating things. Beating could mean killing, sure it could. Maybe he just hadn't thought that because his mind was elsewhere.

Like on Dante—the real Dante—who was standing in the doorway clad in his leather coat, staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

He blinked before glaring daggers at him, snarling, "_What?_"

Dante shrugged off the angry tone, replying, "Nothing. Just wondering if you wanted to come with me and Lady to the park."

"There's a _park_ in this torn up city?"

"I would know."

Vergil stared at him. "You're mocking me, I know it."

"Hey," Lady exclaimed, appearing behind his twin, eyes blazing fiercely, "Don't forget about me."

Vergil huffed in amusement, standing up to retrieve Yamato; the said katana leaning against the bed. "What are _you_ still doing here?"

"Oh," she replied sweetly, "He didn't tell you? I'm staying to help look after you."

Vergil chuckled. "You're asking assistance from a _human_? How low have you fallen, brother?"

"Nowhere as low as you," Lady retorted, her hand inching toward the gun on her belt.

"So are you coming or not?" Dante insisted, his hands behind his head and a bored expression on his face. "Unlike you, I'm _bored_!"

Lady stared at him.

Vergil just chuckled.

!-!-!

After the previous demon attack, Dante's half of the city was reduced to partially destroyed buildings and piles upon piles of debris. Several corpses of demons lay scattered over the torn up pavement as did the remains of cars, motorbikes and busses.

The heavy rain had reduced to a fine mist that clung to the ground, cloaking everything in a dense fog and making it nearly impossible to see.

Dante, Lady and Vergil trudged warily through the streets, the last two tailing Dante who seemed to be the only one who knew where they were going. He walked casually, as though they were walking through a busy street in some town, but his hands twitched near his guns at the slightest noise.

"If we're all on edge," Vergil drawled carelessly, "Why did you want to go out in the first place?"

Lady glared at him and Dante responded, still walking, "Because we were bored watching cartoons and sulking doesn't fit you." When he realized that they weren't following him, he stopped and turned. "Come _on_," He whined, beckoning them to continue with an exaggerated wave of his hand, "We're almost there!" Then he spun on his heels and continued walking.

Vergil chuckled at Lady's confused look as he followed after him.

They reached the park five minutes later: a large, unused piece of property. The grass was overgrown and yellow, covering half of the enclosed area before reaching the boundaries of the sand. Tall, ancient trees stretched high into the sky from the grass half and an old tire swing hung from a sturdy branch. A long, rusted swing set sat in the middle of the sand pit, a tattered, younger child's and older child's jungle gym, and many other joyful contraptions surrounded it.

Dante approached the swing set, stood on a seat and begun to swing back and forth as the two strode over. "So, what cha wanna do?"

Lady took another look around the abandoned park. "Well, I take it you invited us here for a reason…"

The younger twin grinned. Grabbing the rusted bar above him, he swung himself up on the pole, crouching, unwavering, on the bar. "To play tag."

Lady and Vergil both raised an eyebrow; however, while Lady was totally clueless, the older twin was getting an idea of the rules…

"_Tag?_" She repeated, blinking stupidly at him, "That's a kids game."

"True," Dante agreed, grinning from ear to ear, "But my version's a little different." Reaching a hand back, he pulled Ivory into view. Then, twirling it expertly, he cocked the gun.

Vergil laughed. "So who's 'it'?"

"Um, guys?" They turned to see Lady fidgeting with her skirt. "Sorry to ruin your fun, but I'm human."

Dante grumbled to himself, a disappointed look on his face, as he jumped to the ground, returning Ivory to its holder.

Vergil sighed. "Too bad," he murmured, eyeing Ebony. Then realization lit up his face as he grinned, grabbing the unused gun from Dante's halter.

Lady and Dante stared at him.

"How's about," he began, grinning evilly at his twin, "A game of keep away." He cocked the gun with a click. "Same rules? —"

Lady held her hands up. "Sure, as long as I'm not 'it'."

"—Or a game I like to call 'Shoot the real Dante'?" The older twin looked at her and smirked.

She smirked back. "'Shoot the real Dante', eh?" She repeated evilly, drawing her own gun and setting it. "I like the sounds of that."

"Hey, hey, cool it," Dante exclaimed, backing up slightly, "I'll play, but I'm making up the rules."

The two stood silently and waited.

"Good." The younger twin began pacing back and forth in front of them. "ONE. Only one gun and _no shooting me in the head_. That _hurts_."

Lady giggled.

Dante glared at her before continuing. "TWO. If I'm hit, that's the end of it. _Don't_—" he directed this comment at Vergil "—keep shooting me when I'm down. And THREE—" He stopped and stood in front of them. "—you two give me a head start."

"Deal." The two agreed in unison.

Dante started running.

"How long should we give him?"

Lady glanced up at Vergil warily. He was watching the Dantes prance about the park with a passive face and gleaming blue eyes. His blue trench coat clung to his wet form and his hair hung down on his face as Dante's did. If it weren't for their clothes, Lady would've been utterly confused between the two. "I think now's enough."

He smirked. "So do I."

The two started off, firing at all the Dantes they could see and slowly began to dwindle the numbers down until two were left standing. By this time, Vergil and Lady were both panting and gasping for breath. Dante's clones were much more evasive than they had thought.

"What's wrong," the two Dantes inquired in unison, "Tired already? A pity."

Lady suddenly shot the one to her right and the Dante disappeared into smoke. "And then there was one."

The younger twin chuckled nervously and backed up hastily. "Heh, heh, I don't like the looks of this…"

Vergil motioned for Lady to move to the left and she did, disappearing into the tall grass. He then began firing in different directions, hoping to catch his brother off guard.

The silver haired demon slayer wouldn't have it and he ducked here and there, dancing out of reach of the bullets. Then he stuck out his tongue at his twin and ran towards the swing set, leaping gracefully onto the bar that was, at least, seven feet from the ground. In perfect balance he beckoned Vergil closer, taunting, "Come on, bro, is that the best you got? I've seen a squirrel with better aim than that!"

"And I've seen snails do better acrobatics," Vergil retorted, adjusting his aim to target Dante's new position. "You're getting slow." He fired.

Dante dodged the first few by jumping, lifting his feet so that the bullets missed by an inch. Then, when he landed again on the bar, he fell back and hooked his knees around it and evaded the next few by swinging upside down. Finally, he swung back up and landed behind the swing set on all fours before dashing off into the grass.

Lady danced out from behind a tree, pointing her gun at his chest. "Gotcha! There's nowhere to run!"

The younger twin felt Ebony being pressed against his back. "Indeed. Game over, Dante."

"Fine, fine, fine," he grumbled, raising his hands in surrender, "I give!"

Lady grinned then noticed the sky. "Whoa," she exclaimed, noticing the darkened sky, "How long have we been out here?"

Dante yawned. "Long enough. I'm _tired_. Making so many of yourself can really take it out of you." He yawned again.

Vergil grinned inwardly. Finally, a chance to escape!

"Make sure to check your bed for traps," Lady warned playfully, nodding towards the older twin.

Dante chuckled. "I'm not sleeping on a bed. Vergil's in my room and you can sleep wherever you want. I'm on a couch." He stretched. "I haven't slept there for a long time…" He trailed off and his features hardened as his eyes glazed. A frown twitched the corners of his lips downward, as though remembering a depressing memory. But the expression lasted only a second before he turned to them. "Race you home!"

Vergil frowned as Lady took off. He'd noticed earlier that the upstairs floor creaked loudly. So loud, in fact, that it would wake anyone up who was sleeping downstairs. So that was his plan…

He growled low in his throat before he started after them. "Damn you, Dante."

!-!-!

Queen and Myth crouched undetected on a building above the trio, their gaze predatory as they watched them dash back to the ruined shop.

"Tag with guns," Queen murmured, impressed. "I'll have to remember that one…"

She was elbowed in the ribs by her sister who was still staring down at the three, an odd look in her eyes. "Let's go. We have to report back as soon as possible."

Queen nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," she agreed, "And my clothes are getting _filthy_! I can't wait to change them!"

"Get your head out of the sand," the younger sister growled, her form already dematerializing, "Remember our reason for monitoring them!"

But Queen wasn't listening as her body disintegrated and flew away as smoke.

Myth gave the three below her a final, yearning glance before she disappeared as well.

_Chapter four is up!_

_Chapter five is doing well, I'll hopefully get it up soon._

_So review please, and no flames!_


	5. The Calm: Chapter Five

_Here's chapter five! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I **don't **own it and never will._

!-!-!next scene

**_Queen nodded enthusiastically. "Yes," she agreed, "And my clothes are getting _filthy!_ I can't wait to change them!"_**

"_**Get your head out of the sand," the younger sister growled, her form already dematerializing, "Remember our reason for monitoring them!"**_

_**But Queen wasn't listening as her body disintegrated and flew away as smoke.**_

**_Myth gave the three below her a final, yearning glance before she disappeared as well._**

Chapter Five: "Day Two"

Vergil silently paced around Dante's room, deep in thought, moonlight flowing through the window to shed some light in the otherwise darkened room.

The alarm clock had announced half an hour ago that it was three in the morning. However, Vergil didn't have the time to sleep. There was too much to plan; too much to think about.

He'd tried to escape earlier unsuccessfully, Dante having caught him on the stairs. He'd brooded about it for an hour or too before trying again. Except this time Lady caught him and had tossed him back upstairs none too kindly. Then he began thinking of the window, but knocking off the bars would cause too much of a ruckus at three in the morning. And he didn't want to face Dante's doppelgangers again…

So here he was, half an hour later, with no better lead and not much farther he'd been how many hours before. It was getting aggravating.

But he did have much to think about. Like why was Dante going through such a façade to keep him here? They'd been archenemies for almost as long as he could remember and it wasn't like he'd done anything that would deserve Dante's pity or compassion. Hey, a day ago Vergil had stabbed him in the chest with his own sword! Did Dante want to risk that again?

Maybe he wanted just a powerful partner who could help him with his business. The demons _were_ getting more rowdy the last time he was in a place of power. Perhaps Dante had realized that things were getting out of control and he needed help.

But his twin never wanted help, even when they were kids. He preferred to do thing by himself and by his way. Vergil remembered vividly what his excuse was:

**If it's not done my way, it's not done right.**

He was always a bit of a control freak. He always wanted to know what was going on, always wanted to be the leader and make the decisions. He, also, always messed up: being a leader required patience, strategy and fairness and Dante was, well...

Hardly any of that.

Vergil paused in mid step, frowning slightly, puzzled. Why was he thinking back to Dante? He'd spent only around eleven hours with him and his twin had already captured most of his thoughts. Not that anything would stop him from getting out of this hellhole, but he'd begun to think less of killing his brother to escape.

It was strange. He wanted to escape from one hellhole only to return to another.

Chuckling, Vergil stripped off his shirt before sitting on his twin's bed. "I'm too tired tonight," he muttered to himself, "My thoughts are jumbled and too difficult to comprehend at this hour. I'll sort them out in the morning when I'm rested." He lay down, not bothering to brush away the silver locks that obstructed his sight and stared at the ceiling, thinking of nothing in particular. Then he rolled over a few minutes later and fell into a light sleep, haunted by the confusing thoughts he left unsolved in his subconscious.

!-!-!

Vergil woke to the annoying ringing of a phone, rolling over with a groan. Then, slowly opening his eyes, he blinked, adjusting his eyes to the brightness that shined through the window.

Then he noticed Lady. She was leaning against the door wearing a long, grey T-shirt and dark, ruffled pants that he knew were Dante's. "Good, you're awake," she commented dryly, "I guess you and Dante do have something in common after all."

"And what would that be," he inquired, fastening Yamato around his waist before following her downstairs. He didn't bother with a shirt; it was the morning after all and Dante probably wouldn't be wearing one either.

"You both sleep in" was her reply. Actually, she thought, amused, eyeing the older brother's build. They have more in common than just that. Vergil had a flat hard stomach like Dante's and the rest of his build practically the same too. These two really _were_ identical twins and with Vergil's hair down like that, it was hard to tell the difference.

A hoot from the kitchen drew their attention to Dante, who was sitting back on his chair, his legs propped up on the kitchen table. He, too, was shirtless and, grinning widely at his twin, shouted, "Go Vergil!"

The older twin said nothing and gave Dante a hard piercing glare. It was a battle of wits for a minute before the younger twin rolled off his seat, laughing. Vergil mentally rolled his eyes as he sat in the nearest chair.

Dante stood a second later and answered the phone. "Sorry, not open for business yet," he explained into it before tossing it back down. He returned to the kitchen and Lady gave him a questioning glance.

"Why are you not open for business? You look quite capable to me."

"Simple," he replied, grabbing a donut from the box on the table and taking a bite. "Did you see a sign above the doorway outside? Well, in case you didn't, I'll tell you. I don't have a name for this joint." He then gestured to Vergil who was sitting silently watching them. "Oh, and him."

Oh _thanks_, the older twin thought sarcastically.

"Have you got any ideas, yet?" Lady inquired, grabbing a donut. "I mean you must've had a plan if you started this… place." She gestured to the tattered shop, not sure exactly what to call it.

Dante shook his head. "Nope. Not a clue. But—" He leaned forward "—I was hoping that you two could help me think one up while you're here."

!-!-!

"He's beginning to trust them. Things are progressing nicely."

_Remember, you're goal is to free me! We don't want them dead, yet._

Arkain shifted so that he was leaning against the arms of the throne, his right leg draped across the other. He smirked as he shut his eyes, leaning back slightly. "Yes, brother, of course. I know the plan as well as anyone, but I cannot but help to think that we're moving too fast. Couldn't we toy with them for awhile? I want to play with the sons of the treacherous Sparda!"

_Patience, _the voice replied, _you will have your time. Free me and I will give you all the time in the world to do whatever you'd like to them. You've my word…_

The demon thought about the proposition for a moment, his interest peaking. There is no such thing as sibling love in a demon's family; there's only hate, malice, jealously, and a rivalry to become the best. Most families had at least fifteen offspring, but the newborns kill those that were too weak, getting their food and moving up in the ranks. The same proved true for Arkain and his siblings. The demon had no devotion to his trapped brother, but with an upgraded motivation like that, he didn't mind that much. "Deal. I'll take you up on that offer, later."

Queen entered the room through a door that disappeared a second later. She looked frustrated and she stormed over to where her brother sat. "This is taking too long! Why can't we just barge in there and take them already!"

Arkain chuckled at Queen's unrest and obvious boredom. "Patience, Queen, although I see that the concept is already wearing you thin."

She growled.

"The waiting is too much for her. Her mask is wearing thin." An immature, male voice echoed throughout the room, seemingly coming from all directions.

"Indeed, brother, she is anxious. There's too much pressure upon her shoulders." Another voice, this one cold and feminine, whispered through the room, as though telling a dangerous secret. "But her mask is strong. Pride won't make an appearance just yet."

Queen glanced about warily. "Who's there?"

The voices chuckled. "What? You mean you don't remember us, Queen? And here I though we were good, close friends…" Two, hovering humanoids—one male, the other female—emerged from the shadows behind the golden throne. The male had deathly pale skin—too pale to be human's—and blanched white hair that was jelled up into spikes, from which sprouted two curly black horns. Reptilian eyes, a dull yellow shade, danced with malevolent mirth and a wild spark. Dark bags hung under them, as though he hadn't slept in days. Thin, pale lips curled into an evil smirk, revealing reddish black fangs and six black feathered wings flapped lazily, shedding decaying feathers, before he touched down, then curling tightly around his naked, skeletal form.

The female had an hourglass body with pale skin and a waist to slim to be mortal. Mirthful and mischievous flames danced behind cold golden eyes. Matted, white hair hung around her naked form to her knees and two black stumps rose an inch from her hairline. Clear, insect-like wings hummed softly before she, too, landed. "Queen," she crooned mockingly, "So _good_ to see you again!"

"Eeris and Iiris, the twin slayers who personally serve the Prince of Darkness," Queen spat, disgusted. Then she turned to her brother who was still sitting casually on the throne. "You enlisted for _their _help!"

"Calm yourself, my dear," Eeris—the male—calmed, striding closer to Arkain, "My Lord sent us as proof of his good intentions." He turned to the brother, his mood suddenly darkening and he snapped, "He wants them dead."

_Not yet. We have plans for them; plans that are slowly coming into motion. The brothers are falling directly into our hand._

"Ah," Iiris murmured, moving to Arkain's right and observing the swirling colours in the orb on the altar. "The true heir to the Niephiaz'Daellos dynasty. My Lord and Prince sends his regards and looks forward to when he can meet you face to face in hell."

_I look forward to ripping his heart out as well_, the voice retorted dryly. _But we've not the time to talk of this. Although your sudden appearance is surprising and unexpected, we have place to fit you in with our plans._

"As you can see," Arkain said, falsely rueful, "Zeel has been imprisoned in this vile, mortal object and can't escape."

The twin demons nodded, familiar with the story. "By the sacrilegious crime the traitorous Sparda committed."

The older brother nodded, smirking. "And for good reason he wants release. However— " he flicked the orb and a fragile '_ting_' sounded throughout the room "—this human forged substance, glass, is immune to both heat and electricity and won't break. We have reason to believe that Sparda cast our poor brother in and sealed him there with blood, since the demonic elements are that much stronger than mortal's."

"So you need Sparda's blood to unseal the curse," Iiris commented, head tipped to the side in thought.

_Precisely._

"So where do we fit in?"

"Quite simple really," Arkain replied, sitting back in the chair, his hands falling behind his auburn head. "You'll help my sisters prepare the grounds. We want this surprise party to run very, _very_, smoothly." He gestured and Queen spoke up.

"Come with me, I'll tell you what to do." She waved her hand and the wooden door appeared. She nodded towards it. "This way, you two. And hurry, there's a lot to be done before the day is over."

The two slayers bowed to Arkain, as was necessary, before following her through the door and disappearing from sight.

_Their timing couldn't have been more perfect, _Zeel gloated, his muffled, echoing voice cold. _Things will run _much_ more smoothly now!_

"You plan to send them as carriers for the invitation?"

_Of course,_ the voice replied, _their appearance does not bode well for us. The Dark Prince, Mundus, must be second guessing his decision. Why else would he send them? I'm positive that the brothers can handle the two and rid us of their presence once and for all._

"I'm glad you don't see them as a liability." Arkain praised, "I was beginning to doubt our control over the situation."

_Don't bother. We have them eating out of the palm of our hands!_

!-!-!

Vergil was kept awake by the hopeful and excited shivers that shook his frame.

The day had been uneventful, besides the lunchtime food fight between his twin and Lady and the mildly boring session in which they brainstormed names for Dante's nameless shop. He'd taken little part in both these activities and had retreated upstairs to his quarters for most of the day. He came down once and awhile, if he needed a snack or if the two dragged him down to watch TV. Every time, he trudged back up the stairs, slow enough to test but fast enough to go unnoticed. The results had been heart-lifting:

In some places, there was no creak in the floor.

So he waited patiently for the rest of the day and awaited night fall, when he could, hopefully, escape his brother's grasp. He sat still on the bed, meditating, as the time flew by, hardly noticing.

The clock beeped, signifying that it was four in the morning. That should be enough time.

Vergil opened his eyes, wide awake, and slid silently off the bed, quickly gathering his things. Strapping Yamato firmly around his waist and donning his blue trench coat, he slicked his hair back before moving towards the door. He opened it carefully, making sure that no one was guarding the stairs, before he slowly weaved his way through the hall, treading on the places he'd noted before.

He made it to the stairs without making a sound and he silently praised himself. Leaning forward, he looked at the room, seeing that Lady was out and Dante was on the couch, his body in an odd position but otherwise asleep.

Trusting his luck, Vergil tried the stairs, moving carefully to avoid causing a creak. He made it to the floor successfully and mentally cheered. Then, to make sure his escape was flawless, he approached Dante slowly.

A strange noise reached his ears, a sound he'd never heard before. The closer he got, the shaper Dante's frame became and he halted as he stared at the image presented before him.

Dante was shaking, his body ridged and tensed. A thin trail of blood from his mouth showed proof that he'd bit his lip, and hard. Tears that flowed from rapidly moving eyes slid down his cheeks as he tossed his head from side to side. Muffled whimpers escaped his clenched jaw that was constantly grinding its teeth. Vergil gaped at his brother, caught totally off guard.

Dante was having a nightmare.

Frozen in place, unable to move, Vergil watched in unmasked shock and horror as his twins flesh shifted back and forth, showing deep, white scars one time then his regular, unblemished skin the next.

"D-Dante…" he murmured softly, still shocked. He hadn't though his brother, normally the cocky and confident idiot during the day, could ever have a nightmare. But then again, he mused, I really don't know him that well. And what had happened to his skin?

He didn't know how long he'd stood there, frozen in place, but when his twin's moans and whimpers began to fade, he sprung into action, bounding up the stairs without making too much noise. Then, finding a secure place to hide, he observed Dante's reaction.

Not a moment too soon, his twin gave a final shudder before bolting up, his blue eyes wide. Even from his distance, Vergil could see that maelstrom of emotions—fear, uncertainty, hopelessness and others he couldn't name or describe—that stormed wildly behind them. He looked around swiftly before taking a deep, shuddering breath in attempts to calm himself.

But the tears continued trickling down his cheeks, as if refusing to be locked up. Vergil could see him hold his breath and his form quake violently as he held in the sobs. When one escaped him, he curled tightly into a protective position, his arms around his knees and buried his head beneath his arms. Muffled moans and sobs were the only sound that could be heard from Dante as he cried helplessly.

Vergil stood, feeling sick and he slouched back to his room. He felt guilty, spying on his twin in his vulnerable state. He entered his room without looking back at the still door-less door.

Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

_Muahahahhahahahahaaaaa! I just loooovvee the last part!_

_I'm now working on chapter six, and it'll be up a.s.a.p._

_Review if you like it and please no flames._

_Thanks!_


	6. The Calm: Chapter Six

_Sorry about the long wait. I had a bit of trouble getting my thoughts down._

_There is a spot in this story (and I'll point it out) where a song by Linkin Park called _Easier to Run_ will need to be read, or listened to, in order to get the point and feeling across. So please, understand the lyrics when you read that part. I guess it's kinda important._

_Anyway, now that that's done, enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry, nor do I own any rights to the brilliant band, Linkin Park and, yes, there is one line from the song in this story. It is "_Wounds so deep they never show, they never go away._" and that's about it._

_-!-!-! _next scene

_**But the tears continued trickling down his cheeks, as if refusing to be locked up. Vergil could see him hold his breath and his form quake violently as he held in the sobs. When one escaped him, he curled tightly into a protective position, his arms around his knees and buried his head beneath his arms. Muffled moans and sobs were the only sound that could be heard from Dante as he cried helplessly.**_

_**Vergil stood, feeling sick and he slouched back to his room. He felt guilty, spying on his twin in his vulnerable state. He entered his room without looking back at the still door-less door.**_

**_Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to leave._**

Chapter Six: "Day Three"

The sun was rising, the sky splashed with a plethora of reds, yellows and oranges. Thin clouds dotted the otherwise clear blue slate that stretched on for as far as the eye could see.

But Vergil, sitting limply on the bed, didn't notice. His mind was elsewhere, on that horrific work of art he'd seen painted on Dante's skin. He'd been thinking about it for the last three and a half hours and had still gotten nowhere…

What did it mean? What happened? Why did he care? Questions he never wanted answered pelted him relentlessly.

Suddenly, something whacked him on the back of his head, knocking him out of his thoughts and causing him to fall flat on his face. He growled as he flipped over, an ever ready hand reaching for his sword. He paused, though, when he saw who it was.

Dante stood over him, his hand in the smacking position where his twin's head had been moment before. A smirk was plastered on his face and his eyes danced merrily. "I thought I'd lost ya for a second there. Glad to see you're back with the living." He held out a hand.

His twin mumbled something under his breath before taking it and, once standing, reached for his shirt. "What was _that_ for!"

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Touchy. What, were you sleepin' on a tack or something?"

Vergil mumbled that sounded like "I didn't get any" as he pulled on his shirt, ruffling his hair as he did so.

The younger twin huffed, scratching his head and decided to ignore the statement and instead asked, "Have you seen Lady? She wasn't here when I woke up…"

"Nope. Haven't seen her." Vergil stretched and cracked his neck. "But I'll go look for her if you want? I'm in need of a stretch."

Dante eyed him suspiciously, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. After a moment's thought, he answered slowly, "Okay, sure, but you'd better come back with her. Because if you don't, you're gonna be pestered by me for a _long _time."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Grabbing his sword, the older twin tied it around his waist before leaving the room, not bothering with his coat. Dante followed, a thoughtful frown on his otherwise blank face.

!-!-!

Lady was sitting on a swing in the park, her mismatched eyes glued to a sight seen only to her as she stared blankly at the ground. Kalina-Ann was strapped tightly across her back and looked unused, as did the rest of her arsenal. Her face and clothes were dusty. The swing creaked in protest as she swung slightly back and forth.

She was shaken from her trance by the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up. She was surprise at who she saw.

Striding slowly towards her was none other than Vergil who was glancing here and there for any signs of monsters. His faithful katana was strapped around his waist and his gloved hand rested on its hilt. She noticed, as she reached discretely for a gun, that he wasn't wearing his coat.

Vergil stopped when he reached her, looking down at her with a cold stare. "And what would you be doing out here? Dante's wondering where you are."

Lady glanced back down, shifting slightly on the seat as she kicked the ground. "Yeah? Well, he can fret as much as he wants. I don't really care." Bored with the ground, she looked up at the sky. A large shadow loamed menacingly overhead, blocking out some of the rising sun. Her eyes widened.

Temen-ni-gru was still standing, and as tall as ever.

She pointed a shaking hand towards it, forgetting about her gun. "Why's that thing still up?"

Vergil's gaze followed her hand and his eyes widened slightly. He then turned around completely, staring at the tower with narrowed eyes. "The Temen-ni-gru is only erected when it's needed, and then only by a powerful force," he explained slowly, "However, its purpose was fulfilled when the gate to the Demon World was opened."

"So there's practically no reason for it to still be standing?"

The older twin just stood there, staring at the tower with calculating eyes, and didn't reply.

An odd silence fell over them as they gathered their thoughts. Lady was the one who broke it. "Why did you let him join you?"

He glanced back at her, his eyes cold and face emotionless. "You mean Arkham."

She kicked the sand angrily, but didn't reply.

Watching out of the corner of her eye, she watched Vergil sit on the swing next to her, his hand gripping the chain lightly. He hesitated a moment to gather his thoughts before explaining, "I was in need an expert in the black arts who could open the locked doors guarded beneath the tower. When I heard of Arkham and his—" he paused, seeing her tense "—_achievements_, I decided he could aid me well in my affair.

"It turned out that he, also, was planning on erecting the Temen-ni-gru and opening the gate to the Demon World. However," he continued, chuckling slightly at this, "he needed Sparda's blood to open the final seal. So, for a common cause, we became—" he paused again, searching for the correct word "—allies. Well, allies for the most part. You know the rest."

She nodded, recounting the events easily, since that was the first time she'd seen the older twin up close. Her father had deceived her, playing on her pity, and had sent her to destroy him. In the room when she arrived, Dante and Vergil were already fighting viciously. She'd joined in, much to Dante's distaste, and had become Vergil's next target. She falsely accused him of manipulating her father. He responded with such a terrifying calm and coldness in his voice that his words still haunted her now:

"_Is that what you think? Foolish girl_."

It turned out they'd all been manipulated. Her father was actually in control, playing on everyone's character to get them into the correct predicament in which they could do nothing to stop him. However, they managed to escape with their lives and, although she hated to admit it, she owed hers to Dante.

She vaguely realized that Vergil was talking to her and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, what? I didn't catch that."

He chuckled. "I _said_, does that answer your question, because we really need to go."

She nodded. "Yeah, it does. Thanks." She stood and began to walk back to the store, Vergil following silently.

!-!-!

**_((((((((( Right here, people! If you don't read the lyrics you might not get the point, so please read them!))))))))))_**

They entered the store to the sound of music blaring, almost every object in the room pulsing slightly to the beat. Vergil flinched inwardly, resisting the urge to cover his ears as he stomped up the stairs, eager to be able to tell his twin off for once. Entering his—or his twin's—room, he stopped.

Dante was sitting in the chair in the center of the room, leaning back with his bare feet on the unmade bed and hands tucked casually behind his head. The silver half of their amulet hung limply around his neck and lay on his bare chest. His eyes were closed and he was mouthing the words to the song.

The haunting tune caused shivers down his spine but it was the words that caught his interest. He stood there, in the doorway, staring at his twin as he lost himself in the music.

As the song began to fade, he snapped out of his thoughts as Dante stood and approached the stereo and shut it off. Then, pressing a button, he took out the disk that was playing and set it into one of the empty, clear CD cases nearby. "_Easier to Run,_ off the disk _Meteora,_ by Linkin Park." He turned to his brother, smirking at his quizzical appearance. "Awesome song. Anyway, did you find her?"

Vergil nodded. "Yeah, she's downstairs." He hit the side of his head lightly, the world seemingly muffled at the loss of the blaring music.

Dante chuckled, throwing an arm across his shoulders and leading him downstairs.

Vergil growled warningly, but didn't try to escape.

Lady watched them, amused, as they descended the stairs together and only then did the older twin break free of the embrace. Dante didn't seem to mind. "So," he asked, "Why were you out so late?"

She looked to the doorway-less door and replied, "It was—and still is—too quiet. No one—nothing was out there. I went to take a look but…" she trailed off and merely shrugged. "That and the fact that weird tower is still up."

Dante shrugged. "Oh well. Even mighty evil towers have glitches sometimes." He leapt over the back of a nearby couch and landed in its seat. "Anyway, have you got any more ideas for the name of this shop? I _still_ haven't thought of anything!"

As Lady and Dante began arguing about suitable names for the shop, Vergil found himself again lost in thought. His mind wandered back to last night when Dante had that nightmare; how his skin had shifted back and forth, how his face was a mixture of pain, fear and hurt. Again he wondered of the cause and what had happened.

"What about 'Devil May Cry'?"

Dante and Lady looked at him strangely, as though he'd just grown two heads. It was then that he realized that he'd said that thought out loud. He saw why they gave him that look though. In all other discussions, he was reluctant to broadcast his thoughts. Even _he_ couldn't believe that he'd let that slip.

Dante was staring at him with an emotionless face but storming eyes. Vergil could read them perfectly: fear, anger, hope, distrust and betrayal.

Oblivious to the look in the younger twin's eyes, Lady spoke. "'Devil May Cry' sounds like a great name! What do you think, Dante?"

"Yeah," he replied, still staring at his twin, "Sounds great."

Vergil was meditating on his bed, waiting for the right time.

It was around two and he'd decided that he'd check on his brother again, just to clear his conscious. He'd pondered about it for the whole day, weather he wanted to or not, and it was getting on his nerves. So maybe he did care about his brother, but it was only slight. He'd continue his quest for power after Dante let him go.

The clock '_beeped_', signaling it to be three in the morning.

Slowly, he got up, pulled on his shirt while ignoring the white locks that obstructed his view and headed towards the stairs. He crouched at the foot of the stairs and waited.

Dante was sleeping peacefully on a couch, only the lamp in the farthest corner of the room shedding light on the few objects there. The night was bright and Lady was nowhere to be seen. Probably out for another midnight walk, he thought.

It felt like hours before the nightmare began. Dante stared whimpering and his body tensed and began shaking.

Vergil stood, frowning slightly, and crept down the stairs. Carefully he made his way over to him watching again in fascination as his skin flashed back and forth again. A line from the music he had heard earlier sprung into his head and his eyes widened.

'_Wounds so deep they never show, they never go away.'_

He was trapped in memories of his past that were to terrible for Vergil to fathom, let alone for Dante to bear. The scars aren't on his flesh, he realized, horrified and backed away. The scars are on his soul!

At that moment, Dante bolted up, his teary eyes wide as he tried, once again, to control his raspy breath.

Vergil, forgetting his cold exterior for a moment, took pity on him and sat down next to him and held out a welcoming hand. "_Dante_." For a second he thought he heard a familiar voice combine with his. One that was kind and loving.

His twin looked up at him with fearful, hazy eyes and for a second, Vergil thought he was going to reject him. Then, suddenly, Dante lurched forward and embraced him tightly, weeping into his shoulder.

It took a moment for the older twin to realize what had happened, but when he did, his cold eyes softened for the first time in years and he held his brother tightly. Part of his mind, the cold, heartless part he'd developed over the years, screamed at him for showing weakness, saying that he should be stabbing his twin mercilessly in this vulnerable state. The other part, however, the one that was new, confusing and currently controlling his actions, convinced him to continue comforting his broken twin.

"It's alright, Dante," he heard himself whisper into his brother's ear. Again, that strangely familiar voice accompanied his as he continued gently murmured soothing words to him, "It's alright. I'm here for you."

His brother was now sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder, no longer trying to hide them under a cloak of silent suffering. Vergil rubbed his back, nervously at first seeing as he was new to this, but then confidently when he noticed Dante's body begin to unwind and his quaking begin to subside. Soon he was laying limply in his arms, the last few tears trickling down his cheeks. "Devils never cry," Dante choked weakly, as if talking to himself. "It shows too much weakness." He began shaking again as new tears appeared from already red eyes.

Vergil pressed him more tightly against his chest, rubbing his back again. "Nonsense," he murmured in that strange voice, mentally wondering whose voice it was and why it was familiar. "Even a devil may cry when faced with the terrors of its phobia. And you've done pretty well, I think."

He began to calm down once again. "But he always said devils never cry," Dante murmured.

"Who did?"

New tears fell but Dante didn't fight them this time. "Vergil."

The older twin stiffened, his eyes wide as he remembered:

_**They were at the orphanage, outside in the empty playground. The other children had been teasing them and tormenting them for the few months they'd been there.**_

_**Dante had been crying, complaining about his throbbing black eye while Vergil was holding a cold cloth up to it. A new orphan had come only a few weeks ago, but he was already popular and had become 'king of the hill' in a sense. He was about fourteen with smelly breath and a rude, obnoxious attitude. He'd seen the twins as freaks and devils (for their strange looks and abilities) and he'd told them that often. But he'd gone too far and Dante had been beaten up only an hour before.**_

_**Vergil, in a fit of rage, had attacked him and had caused (surprisingly since he was only seven year old) a lot of damage to the boy: broken ribs, an arm, a leg and a concussion. **_

_**A bad move since a man had come in an hour later to adopt Dante and him. However, due to his outburst, he was kept at the orphanage for discipline. **_

**"_Devil's never cry," He'd told Dante in way of a pep talk for his new life without him, "It's a sign of weakness. Bad guys like that bully will use it against you and make your life horrible."_**

_**But he remembered crying as Dante left in the man's car.**_

Vergil shook himself out of the flashback, realizing that Dante was crying again in his shoulder. He thinks I'm Mother, he realized amused. I guess I'll play along for now, as to not blow my cover. "Vergil doesn't think that way anymore," he whispered, that voice continuing to accompany him. "And besides, he was wrong. Devils do cry."

He sat with his twin for a while longer, lost in thought, until he realized that Dante had fallen asleep. Leaning back, he couldn't help a smile when he saw his brother's face. Dante had a peaceful expression on his face, his lips curled into a sight, content smile.

Untangling himself from his brother, Vergil stood and with a light kiss to his brother's forehead, headed back upstairs.

A pair of mismatched eyes watched him from the doorway with interest.

_There we go, chapter six! Hope you enjoyed it!_

_R&R and no flames please!_


	7. The Gathering Storm: Chapter Seven

_I am _**so** _sorry about the very long wait for this, but I had a bit of trouble getting my thougts straight. And I agree. The wait was _**way**_ too long!_

_I realize I've fallen down on my job of appreciating the people who've taken their time to review. My appologies. It's thanks to all of you who review that these chapters keep coming and without all of your support, this story would probally be another file on my discontinued section. So thanks once again, from the bottom of my heart._

_With that said and done, let the chapter begin!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Devil May Cry period. I do however, own Koketsu since I created it and its abilities._

_-!-!-!_ next scene

_**He sat with his twin for a while longer, lost in thought, until he realized that Dante had fallen asleep. Leaning back, he couldn't help a smile when he saw his brother's face. Dante had a peaceful expression on his face, his lips curled into a sight, content smile.**_

_**Untangling himself from his brother, Vergil stood and with a light kiss to his brother's forehead, headed back upstairs.**_

_**A pair of mismatched eyes watched him from the doorway with interest.**_

Chapter Seven: "An Unexpected Savior"

_He didn't know when it happened, but he did know where._

_Somewhere between virtual and reality, the real world and the dream world, Vergil heard a voice. It called his name so softly, so lovingly, that he wasn't sure he'd actually heard it. _

"…Vergil_…"_

_It sounded so very familiar, the face behind the voice hanging tantalizingly close to discovery only being ripped away by his old habits. The fear he felt transformed him. His face turned from shocked and confused to cold, calm and collected. Sparking blue eyes dimmed to their normal cold appearance as he stood, vulnerable, in the darkness. His ever ready mind was calculating his options as he relied on his senses to pick up where the voice was coming from._

"…Vergil_…"_

_He refused to listen to the part of his mind that pleaded with him to run for cover. These emotions—compassion, fear—were all new to him, like a memory long forgotten; a nightmare that he wanted to wake up from. Of all the things he faced (and he'd faced plenty) these emotions scared him the most. "Only cowards hide in the dark. Show yourself!"_

_Silence answered him._

_Smirking, the older twin murmured, "Thought so." He began to walk away._

_Suddenly, he heard the laughter of children and the voice said three words that stopped him in his tracks: "_Dante and Vergil_."_

_Vergil's mind was in turmoil and his body quivering slightly from realization. He knew who this was, but it wasn't possible. She was dead! "What trickery is this!" he snapped._

"Watch over him, Vergil… Please._"_

_His mouth hung open, unsure of what to say. He was only able to stutter one word. "…M-Mother?" _

!-!-!

On the rooftops, Queen paced anxiously while Eeris and Iiris kept their silent vigil, gazing at the broken down shop below them. They'd arrived only moments before on orders to deliver the 'invitation' in any way necessary.

"Calm yourself," Eeris hissed, keeping his eyes glued on the buildings below him. "Nothing can be done until the proper time. We must wait patiently."

Queen halted and turned to face them squarely. "Of course," she replied dryly, "How foolish of me not to follow my own advice." Then, with an annoyed huff, she sat on the side of the roof and began checking over her nails.

"The Sparda sons," Iiris whispered ecstatic, "Our dreams are coming true!"

Her brother turned to her. "Master Mundus gave us direct orders."

She nodded, smirking. "And, of course, we must follow the whims of our _master_. If he wants the half-breeds dead, then there as good as dead."

Eeris nodded. "Dante's mine, you can have his brother."

"Deal."

With that, the three sat on the roof top as still as statues, waiting for the right time to beset their prey.

!-!-!

"So, _have _you thought of a name for this shop, yet?"

Dante fiddled with his fork before scooping a pile of eggs into his mouth, chewing them thoughtfully. The three of them were sitting at the dinner table eating a real breakfast of toast, eggs and bacon. Vergil, being his bleak self, had refused to join whatever conversation his two housemates tried to include him in. So after awhile, they just gave up. Now they'd turned the conversation back to the shop, but he didn't know how to answer.

Of course, he knew the one he wanted; he just didn't want to say it orally.

Shrugging, he picked up a piece of burnt bacon and examined it. "Maybe."

Lady raised an eyebrow. "Let's say I take that as a yes. What's the name?"

Looking to Vergil then back to her, Dante shrugged again. "I find that 'Devil May Cry' took my fancy." He took a bite of the burnt meat, crunching on it as he would a potato chip.

Looking to the side, she tried to hold back a laugh. She wasn't disrespecting the name, of course. It's just that she'd heard better; way better. Coughing to regain her composure, she stood and, excusing herself, left to clean her guns. She left the room, still fighting back a chuckle.

"Going to clean your guns? Is that _all_ you do with your spare time?"

Turning her head slightly, she noticed Vergil slowly approaching her. "Does it matter to you what _I_ do with my spare time?"

His face remained blank and emotionless as he replied. "It can mean the difference between life and death."

"Or escape and confinement."

He smirked. "Exactly, but please, don't let me hold you back from your—" he paused "—daily routine."

Nodding slowly, she turned back around and continued onward. Leaping up the stairs, she entered into the room next to Vergil's. There was hardly any furniture there and the floor was spotless except for a few dirty clothes. Guns were lined up at the back wall.

Instantly, Lady strode over and began checking them and, when occasion permitted, cleaned them. She worked in silence and her guest, who was currently leaning comfortably against the wall, didn't try to force a conversation. "That reminds me," she murmured to herself. Then, turning to the older twin, she asked, "How come Dante's guns never run out of bullets? I've never seen him need to reload before."

Vergil smirked. "Took you long enough to ask." Then, he leaned his head back against the wall before continuing. "If you hadn't already guessed, it's not mortal made. Something that perfect can't be made by the flawed hands of humans."

She glared at him.

"Dante always had a thing with guns," he continued, ignoring the look but smirking to show that he'd seen it. "He was fascinated by them, even when we were kids. He'd design his own models and explain to me endless times about how they'd function and what any special properties were. It got annoying after a while.

"What I'm getting at is this. Ebony and Ivory were handguns made personally by him. He imbued some of his power into it—into the ammunition actually—so that he wouldn't have to worry about reloading." He shrugged. "Quite genius actually."

She scrunched up her face into an expression that made Vergil chuckle. "So they're demonic weapons."

"Don't stereotype weapons by those who created them. Demonic weapons are what hurt demons the most."

Her lip curled up in disgust. "You'll never catch me touching one. Even with a ten foot pole!"

Vergil raised an eyebrow at this. "I wouldn't bet on it. One day, using a demonic weapon may be the choice between life and death."

She just shook her head before continuing her work.

It was a little over ten minutes before they spoke again. It was Vergil who broke the silence.

"How much did you see?" It was more of a command then a question.

Startled, she looked up. "What do you mean?"

His face was terrifyingly calm, seeing as though his eyes were blazing. "It's a simple question, really. How much did you see of last night?"

Blinking, she retorted, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He took a threatening step towards her. "How much," he snarled, his eyes boring holes into her head. "did you see? I will not repeat this question a third time and—" he gave her a cold grin "—I _will_ make you talk, that I can promise you. Old habits die hard, you see."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Dante can't stop what's already said and done. Just tell me and I'll leave you in peace."

Lady gave him a harsh glare, proving to him that she didn't fear his wrath. "I said _I don't know what you're talking about."_

Meeting her glare with his own heated one, Vergil studied her closely. She underestimated him, and greatly. Having a past of being a chaotic mastermind, the older twin's instincts were honed to perfection, allowing him to sense when one was lying to him. Lady was no exception; she shared her father's nonexistent gift of lying and that alone made her that much easier to read. That, too, and the fact that she was human.

Suddenly, he started laughing, a sound that was void of all emotions except amusement and venomous anger. "Foolish girl," he sneered, an evil smirk on his face. "You're just like your father: so easy to read." Then his face was wiped clean, back to its emotionless façade. "You can't hide anything from me, girl. I can read you like an open book." He took a threatening stride forward. "You saw everything, didn't you?"

It was then that something inside her snapped. Snatching an already loaded handgun from the floor near her foot, she cocked them swiftly and held them ready before her. "Shut up! Don't you dare compare me to that monster!" she snarled, pointing them at his chest. "I'm nothing like him!"

"You are, and in more ways than you know."

She growled. "I don't have to take this from you, so shut the hell up. Dante will gladly let me teach you a lesson and one that you, hopefully, won't forget for a long time." She fired, eyes trailed on his every movement.

Vergil's eyes danced with excitement and mirth, feeling the adrenaline roar through his veins. He didn't move even when the bullets pierced his chest. But then, suddenly, he was gone.

She blinked, a cold dread engulfing her when she realized where he was.

"Amateur," a voice hissed into her ear, dripping with venom. "Even my bumbling minions knew not to perform such a tactless assault against me. Never underestimate a Demon, it could mean the difference between life and death."

Or escape and confinement, she mused, finishing the thought mentally. She chuckled. "You should know then never to underestimate a demon _slayer_." With a small hop, she fell to the floor in a push-up position, kicking her feet out behind her, hoping to make contact with his shins.

The older twin anticipated her attack, somehow, and was already in the air. Lady barely rolled away in time before he slammed down; aiming to break her ankles as he almost did the floor. Jumping to her feet, she returned the guns to firing position.

"After all, we specialize in _killing_ Demons!"

Vergil smiled cruelly. "And the dance begins again."

Lady growled again, squeezing the trigger…

Dante's voice from downstairs stopped them both in their tracks. "Hey, a little help down here! We've got an uninvited guest that needs to be _entertained_!"

!-!-!

As soon as Lady had left, Dante began musing about last night's events, barely noticing when Vergil stood to follow her.

He knew who that was, the answer was so plain and simple it was screaming at him. It was his mother, plain and simple. But that wasn't possible. He knew that better than anyone, he'd been convincing himself about it for the last few years. She was dead and was never, could never, come back.

But that logic couldn't hold against the facts. The voice was his mother's; the comfort was his mother's. Every bit of evidence screamed that she'd been there; she'd been the one to comfort him from the nightmares/memories. Memories so terrible he had relived them night after night for the whole month of the anniversary of when he'd met his second family. The experience had been so traumatizing, he swore the events of that day were scared upon his very soul.

"You're a fool, Dante," he scolded himself bleakly. "She's dead and that's the end of it." He got up and retched himself a beer.

Lying casually on the crimson couch, he stared at the TV program with unseeing eyes. His thoughts still lingered on the past.

The sound of gunfire from upstairs tore the platinum haired demon slayer from his thoughts. Looking up at the ceiling (he knew they were in the room above him), he shook his head wearily. "Damn roommates," he muttered under his breath. "Why'd he have to go and pick a fight?" He stood and moved to march up the stairs.

"So, you must be Dante, youngest son of the infamous Sparda. We meet face-to-face at last."

He paused in mid step. Sighing, he exclaimed, "I'm not even going to ask who you are to have learned my name or that title. Because, frankly, I don't care." He turned his head slightly to see who had spoken to him. "I'll just end up killing you anyways. Nothing personal."

The sexy blond lady standing behind him smirked suggestively. "I see you're as mouthy as ever. Glad to see you haven't lost your touch. However, are you sure you have the killing part down pat? I have a strange feeling you're wrong."

He hoped over the railing and grasped the hilt of Rebellion, the sword having been leaning on the nearby wall. "I dunno," he drawled, "maybe your senses are off wack." He swung the blade experimentally. "Because I'm feeling rather lucky today." He turned his head to the stairs and called, "Hey, a little help down here! We've got an uninvited guest that needs to be _entertained_!"

The two were down in a flash. After all, the only guest in a demon slaying business that needed to be _entertained_ was a demon.

A blond woman stood imposingly in the doorway her skimpy leather outfit barely covering a body that would turn all eyes. Cold crimson pools rippled with ravage promises as she smirked at the three. "Vergil, the oldest of the Sparda brothers. 'Tis a pleasure to finally meet you face to face." Her sensual voice dripped with obvious sarcasm and she bowed mockingly. Then she turned to Lady and, after quirking a slim eyebrow, moved closer. "And you," she whispered, tilting her chin up with a rough hand, not bothering to be kind about it. "Must be Mary, the rebellious daughter of Arkham. 'Tis a pity you didn't follow in his footsteps. He was one of the more loyal and manipulative slaves that actually took my fancy."

Slapping the lady's hand away, Lady snarled, "My name is _not _Mary. _She _is dead. I am Lady, so get it right if you want to _pretend_ to know me, bitch."

The lady's eyes flashed, suddenly, and Lady found herself struggling to remain standing. "Insolent human! You dare talk back to your superior, to _the_ _Queen_!" Her eyes flared again, and Lady collapsed to her knees, shivering under the weight of the lady's demonic aura.

"I'm here to deliver a message," she exclaimed turning to Dante and Vergil, "an invitation from Lord Arkain to the revival of the Niephiaz'Daellos heir. He _insists _on your presences, should you decline."

Vergil stepped forward, gripping tightly the sheath in which Yamato rested. "And should the answer remain a no?"

"You will attend one way or another. Have fun." And with a final wave, she turned and left.

"What was that about?" Dante muttered, leaning slightly on his sword, glancing at Lady to make sure she was all right.

A 'clang' behind them made the three turn. A man with deathly pale skin—too pale to be human's—and spiky, blanched white hair sat casually on the wooden desk behind them. Reptilian eyes, a dull yellow shade, danced with malevolent mirth and a wild spark that caused all three to question his mortality, that and the dark bags that hung under them, as though he hadn't slept in days. "Greetings to you on this fine day, Sons of Sparda," he drawled sarcastically, eyes lazily examining their figures. "And you, Demon Slayer," he added with a nod towards Lady. "I was hoping you would decline the offer. It makes this job so much more—" he paused "—entertaining."

Vergil smirked and gestured vaguely. "Interesting choice of words, seeing as though we've the upper hand."

The man merely chuckled and pointed behind him.

Puzzled, the older twin turned.

Struggling vainly, Dante was held against the chest of a lady with the same deathly pale skin and hair as the man. A malicious smirk was painted on her angelic features while golden eyes danced malevolently, as if promising a tantalizingly slow, painful death. "Get the hell off me!" He yelled, thrashing madly in her grasp.

She leaned in and murmured something sinister into his ear. Instantly, his eyes glazed over, their colour dulled with defeat and he stared blankly at the floor, his body lying limp with her grasp. Looking up, she nodded.

The man laughed madly, throwing his head back as six jet black wings erupted from his back, showering the room with raven black feathers. Turing back his head back to the two, they saw that two new, black horns protruded from the mass of blanched locks and curled slightly, as those of a goat's did. Inch long, black nails and reddish-black fangs were bared threateningly as he stood, tucking his wings around his naked body. "You're related to _that_ broken thing?" Not waiting for an answer he continued. "No matter. You can thank us later for ridding you of him."

And then they were gone, leaving Dante's sword behind, a pillar of their failure.

"Why am surprised?" Lady berated herself, shaking a shocked expression from her face. "Demons are always that fast."

"No, not fast," Vergil exclaimed, his voice terrifyingly calm for the passionate fire blazing behind the cold eyes. With a swish of his coat, he turned on his heel and strode up the stairs, his steps purposeful. "They never moved faster than a walk."

With a thoughtful frown, Lady followed him, eventually ending up in Dante's room. "Explain."

Opening the closet and removing the filthy clothes and such, he began tapping on the walls. "That lady that grabbed Dante, she was a Quicksilver. They're time controlling Demons—" he explained, seeing her blank look "—that are hard to see through human eyes. They can alter the speed in which things happen around them. It's quite annoying actually."

He turned to her. "Being human, even such a one who's knowledgeable in the ways of Demons, you're oblivious to the change. You see them, and then you don't; they just disappear. You don't feel or see anything different.

"Being a Demon, however," he continued, returning his attention to the wall, "I _see_ and _feel_ the change because I have two sets of instincts: human and Demon. So does Dante. We _see_ the world slow down. We _feel_ the slowness of our actions. We realize what happens before our human senses kick in and we _understand_ what's occurring. That is why we are superior. Ah, here it is." He pushed at a certain section of the closet wall and a large chunk of it fell back with a loud 'thud'.

Lady gaped at him. "What did you just do!"

Creeping through the low doorway, Vergil didn't respond.

With an eyebrow raised in annoyance and a loud, suffering sigh, she followed him through.

The room was furnished with hooks on every wall. Hanging on the hooks on the right and front wall were guns: submachine guns, shotguns, handguns, blowguns, crossbows, snipers, rocket and grenade launchers and some others that she knew, from their appearance, came from the Demon World. On the left wall and stands on the floor were swords: broadswords, cutlasses, daggers, rapiers, two handed swords, and some twin blades with demonic qualities to them. On a long, wooden table in the center of the room were piles and piles of ammunition and grenades, each clearly labeled as to which gun they belonged or where they were used. On another, smaller table, decorative sheaths, gun halters and strange items were laid out.

Lady blinked twice before looking around the room again. This was too good to be true!

She snapped out of her daze when Vergil tossed her a halter and hissed, "Hurry up! We haven't got all day!"

Blinking again, she exclaimed, "Whoa, back up a second here. Did I miss something? What are we doing in here? _What _is here?"

He rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. "We're in Dante's secret armory as you can see." He gestured. "It having been a secret and an armory and all," he explained dryly, before returning to examining the swords on the wall. "Now hurry up. I want to leave as soon as possible."

She refused to move. "Where are _we_ going?"

Vergil chuckled, running a hand through his hair to return it to its regular slicked back look before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Humans really _are_ dense." He then began to mumble words that she couldn't catch, as they were muffled by his hand.

Sighing, Lady moved to the wall of guns, examining them visually before checking them manually and either placing them back on the hook or adding them to her arsenal. "Well, are you going to tell me or not?"

"Why, to rescue Dante, of course."

!-!-!

A few minutes later, the disgruntled couple emerged from the hidden room, closing it firmly before trudging down the creaky stairs, both loaded up with new weapons.

Lady was covered with guns having replaced her older ones (except for Kalina-Ann) with newer handguns, submachine guns, two snipers and a grenade launcher. Four new pouches attached to her belt held ammunition for her _human _made weapons, having still stubbornly refusing to accept Demon forged weapons. She was disgusted with the fact that a demonic dagger by the name of Koketsu hung by her side. Vergil had blackmailed her into taking it and she detested him for it.

The hilt was made of three, two headed, ebony snakes curling around each other and the guard was six snake heads (three pointing left and three pointing right) each set at different heights, mouths gaping and showing unusually large fangs. Each snake eye was set with a different jewel: a ruby, a topaz, an amethyst, a sapphire, an opal and an emerald. The blade was thin and jagged, jutting out thirteen inches from the hilt.

Vergil was picky about his weapons and had taken a lot of time before choosing only one; the sword he'd been fighting Dante over in the first place: Force Edge. She was mildly surprised when he'd considered using guns and had taken two: Ebony and Ivory and their halter.

Entering the room, Lady stood in silence as the older twin wrenched Rebellion from its place in the ground and set it neatly on his back. Then, without another look behind him, Vergil strode confidently out the door, his inhuman aura pulsing with a calm, controlled anger.

Following him wordlessly was Lady.

!-!-!

It was cold.

Dante sat, shivering, on the frigid stone floor of the musky room, his bare back resting against the equally chilled wall. He was curled into a protective position, his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried in his knees.

Why? Why did this have to happen when he had no hopes of escape? It wasn't fair, but it was reality and he had to face it.

Lady would, hopefully, try. They'd come to an agreement and were allies, if not friends. He had agreed to help her exterminate the demon race, even though he was part one. That counted for something, right? Also, he saved her from an almost certain death by both Vergil and Arkham, so she owed him. But Vergil…

He clenched his eyes tightly before opening them.

Vergil.

He hadn't enough time to change him. He was still that cold, heartless half-breed that had battled him endlessly without batting an eye. He'd be rejoicing now, maybe even throw a party before leaving to continue with his diabolical plans to gain more power. No, getting his hopes up like that wasn't going to do him any good. It would only give his captor something else to destroy, another tool in which they could break him with.

After all, it was better to expect the worst then have your hope ripped from you, wasn't it?

Pulling his knees closer to his chest, Dante's chilled form began quaking. But it wasn't just from the icy air around him.

Oh, no.

_I appoligize again for the long wait on this one. I'll hopefully be able to update faster next time._

_So please review. Thanks!_


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